The Gardening Blog

Cultivated since the 1500, the Foeniculum vulgare or wild fennel is a spontaneous plant, very similar to the variety that is cultivated, by botanical affinity - they are both Umbelliferae - and taste, but of which different parts are consumed.

The purple cauliflower is a large vegetable, typically found in winter, resulted from the cross between broccoli cabbage, common cauliflower and a selection of fine Violetto di Sicilia cauliflower. The characteristic that distinguishes it, is precisely the purple color that derives from anthocyanins of which this variant of cauliflower is rich.

Turfs are an excellent solution to make outdoor areas more pleasant, welcoming and aesthetically pleasing: there are several herbaceous species used for these purposes that differ from each other in heigh, strength and color. Generally we opt for plants that belong to the Gramineae: they are the most widespread species and have been used for years, as they quickly produce a compact, long-lasting, resistant and easily walkable turf.

Known since ancient times, this aromatic plant with a fragile appearance and similar to parsley is very easy to grow and - if sown at the right time and with the right climate - it grows abundantly without any problems. Besides its leaves, even coriander seeds can be used in the kitchen. It belongs to the same family as fennel, dill and parsley, aromatic umbellifers with which it share a high percentage of essential oil contents.

If Hamlet was not set in Denmark (where it is too cold and the light is not enough to grow it), maybe Shakespeare would have made Ophelia cite even the ears, amongst the essences that stimulate memories. When we think of a relaxing fragrance, pleasant for everyone, delicate but persistent without being annoying and that is often associated with memory and memories, is this the plant that comes to mind. From the seeds of lavender we create delicate infusions used to reconcile relaxation and sleep; dried flowers are picked to exploit their aroma in pot-purri with other essences or alone in perfumed bags that grandmothers use to hide in between laundry, to perfume it and keep the moths away, and that refer to a less hectic past.

Garlic is a bulb belonging to the Lilaceae family: its scientific name is Allium latin word that means hot and burning. This plant is used mainly in the kitchen to flavor many dishes, however, it has also a therapeutic use as it has many beneficial properties,recognised even in modern medicine.

In Italian it’s called "girasole" (Sun-turner) because the flowers looks for solar light and heat by following its path from the dusk until dawn and rotates its stem to receive it as much as possible during the day (a phenomenon called heliotropism). In Germanic languages its name is “sunflower”, both for the characteristic just described, and for the bright yellow color of its petals.

The dwarf dichondra is a herbaceous species belonging to the Convolvulaceae: it grows abundantly and vigorously without needing a lot of maintenance and because of this it is widely used to create turfs. In fact, it does not suffer if it’s walked on or crushed, because it can regenerate itself quickly.

The cultivation of a vegetable garden is not only a physical activity to obtain healthy and tasty fresh vegetables, but is also an important moment to learn a lot of good things about agriculture, like, the choice of vegetable seeds. The growth and evolution of plants can be carefully observed in the various phases such as sowing and harvesting.

Valerian, also known as “Valerianella” is one of the most cultivated herbaceous plant. In Italy it is not very widespread even if, in recent times it is much more present in supermarkets and in horticulture shops. Valerianella during its growth can reach a height that varies from 10 to 30 centimeters. The plant produces a rosette of elliptical leaves, of green color with one single central vein. The blossoming of this plants happens between april and may and the flowers are of a blue and white color.